In My Heart
by Bleeding Heart Sacred Soul
Summary: COMPLETE! Syndrome-who somehow survived-tried yet again to get back at the Incredibles, and this time succeeded. Ten years later, will Jacob Pine be able to believe-or accept-that he is really Jack-Jack Parr, the son of his supposed father's arch enemy?
1. Prologue: It Starts

**__**

Prologue: And So It Begins…

Five-year-old Caroline turned from the computer console in the island's center as the door slid open with a pneumatic hiss. "Daddy! You're home!"

Caroline's father stepped into the room with difficulty, holding something in his arms. "I am indeed, and look who I've brought!"

"Daddy, hold on," Caroline said. She walked over to an odd sort of chair and touched a panel lightly. The chair floated over to her father, who took his seat gratefully.

"Thank you, princess," her father said. He held out the bundle in his arms. "Caroline, meet your new brother!"

Caroline looked. Inside the bundle of blankets was a baby, a little boy with a funny tuft of reddish-brown hair. He was sleeping peacefully. Caroline looked up at her father. "Where'd you get him, Daddy?"

"He's the son of one of those bad people I told you about, Caroline."

"The bad so-called supers, Daddy?"

"Exactly. Actually, it's a whole family of them--the family that cost me my legs."

Caroline nodded. "And you took him so you can raise him properly, right?"

"Exactly right." He handed the baby to his daughter. "His name is--well, they called him Jack-Jack, but we'll call him Jacob. A much more fitting name."

"Jack is short for Jacob, Daddy."

"I know that, Caroline. That's why we're calling him Jacob."

Caroline smiled and took her new brother to the nursery down the hall. And Bud Pine, better known to those who thought him dead as Syndrome, watched his daughter go--and laughed…


	2. Handling the Truth

**__**

Ten Years Later…

"Caroline?"

Caroline looked up from the computer console to see her brother looking at her hopefully. "Oh, hi, Jacob. What's up?"

"Dad wants to know if you've found a location for Illusion yet. Says if you have, tell him where, and if you don't, don't bother."

Caroline hesitated. "Illusion? No…no, she's proving rather difficult to locate. And before you ask, I haven't found The Dash either."

Jacob nodded. "Oh, okay. Well, Dad really wants to find them. He says it's surprising that they aren't where they were last time he heard of them…but he won't tell me where that is either," he added with a sigh. "I want to find them too. Look what they did to Dad."

Caroline rolled her eyes. "The last time Dad heard of them, they were still living with their parents, and it was ten years ago. Illusion is twenty-three and The Dash is…nineteen, I think. They've moved out."

"Oh."

Caroline bit her lip and looked at Jacob. His reddish-brown hair flopped in his sparkling brown eyes, hidden behind oval-shaped glasses. He was tallish, slender, smart and serious. The hair was vaguely reminiscent of Bud Pine, but not really. He looked nothing like Caroline, who had pretty green eyes and wavy, honey-blonde hair, or her father. As was fitting; he wasn't really related to her.

He would be eleven come Sunday. She knew it was time to tell him the truth.

"Jacob. Does the name Mr. Incredible mean anything to you?"

Jacob blinked in surprise. "It rings a distant bell, but…should it?"

Caroline suppressed a sigh. "How about ElastiGirl?"

"Nope."

"Violet? Dash? Bob? Helen?"

"Nope, vaguely, nope, and…nope."

This time, Caroline didn't bother covering it up. She heaved a sigh. "Okay, name recognition doesn't work…let's try picture recognition, shall we?"

Turning to the computer database, she typed in MR. INCREDIBLE. A picture flashed up--black-and-white, showing a man in a suit with a lowercase I on the front of it. Location was listed as KNOWN, and a red band across the front of the photo labeled him TERMINATED.

"Okay, that's not right…let's try again." Caroline typed in ELASTIGIRL. A black-and-white picture of a young woman with chin-length hair in a light-colored suit flashed on the screen, location UNKNOWN.

"Jeez, how long has it been since Dad updated these files? Hold on, I've got it now." Tucking a strand of hair behind her ear, she typed THE INCREDIBLES.

A picture--color this time--flashed onto the screen. A man with a blonde buzz cut, a woman with reddish-brown hair, a young girl with long dark hair, and a small boy with blonde hair, all wearing red-and-black suits.

"The picture's ten years old, but since that'd be the last time you'd have seen them it should be okay." Caroline turned to look at her brother. "Recognize any of them?"

Jacob stared. Something clicked in his head. His hand shook slightly as he pointed to the woman. "Her. I remember her. She was giving me a bath in the sink and telling someone that 'we' had officially moved in somewhere because she'd unpacked the last box." He looked at Caroline. "Is she our aunt?"

Caroline shook her head. "She's your mother, Jacob."

"_My_ mother? What do you mean?"

Caroline cleared the screen and swiveled to face the young boy. "Jacob, Dad…Dad isn't really your dad. He kidnapped you when you were a baby."

"N-no…y-you're lying…"

"Jacob, why would I lie to you? She's ElastiGirl, she's your mother. The man--it's Mr. Incredible--is your father. Those two kids are now known as Illusion and The Dash, but they're your older brother and sister."

Jacob shook his head fiercely. "No! Caro, you're just playing a joke on me. I don't want to be the son of bad people, 'cause I'm not bad!"

Caroline looked into Jacob's brown eyes intently. "They're good, Jacob. They aren't bad."

Jacob backed away from her slightly. "But…but they tried to kill Dad!"

"No, Jacob. I thought they were bad too, but I've been watching them since Dad kidnapped you. They didn't try to kill him…that was an accident. _Dad_ tried to kill _them_. A good person doesn't try to kill people. Good people respect human life."

"You're lying," Jacob said stubbornly. "Dad is good and they're bad. I know it. I-I'm going to tell him what you told me. He'll tell me the truth."

"No!" Caroline yelped. She jumped out of her chair and grabbed her brother's shoulder. "Jacob, if Dad finds out I told you that, my life won't be worth a bucket of warm donkey spit. Please. If you have to ask him, just tell him…tell him you noticed that you don't look like him or Mom and you wonder if you're really part of the family. Something like that."

Jacob eyed her suspiciously. "Okay, I'll ask him. But you're wrong. You'll see."

That night at dinner, Jacob swallowed what was in his mouth and turned to his father. "Dad?"

"Hmm?" his father said, looking over at him.

"Dad, I noticed…well, I don't look at all like you, and I've seen pictures of Mom and I don't look like her either, so I was wondering…was I adopted?"

His father blinked. "No! No, of course not, Jacob! Whatever put such a silly idea in your head?"

"Well, who do I look like then?"

"Why, you're the spit and image of your mother's cousin's stepbrother's aunt's third cousin's grandfather's nephew's daughter's dog-walker's boyfriend's son from a previous marriage, of course!"

Jacob frowned slightly. "Oh." He shot a Look at Caroline, then finished his meal.

But that night, he pondered it for a minute. _Cousin's stepbrother's…wait, then it wouldn't be a blood relative. And the dog-walker's boyfriend's son from a previous marriage…unless he was married to Mom, I wouldn't be related to him at all. Dad was…lying? Oh, my God…_

He slipped out of bed and down to the computer room. Caroline had been told to look for Illusion and The Dash some more, but when Jacob went in she was playing Minesweeper.

"Caroline?"

Caroline jumped, clicked out of the program, and whirled quickly, then relaxed. "Oh…hi, Jacob. What is it?"

"Caroline, do you think I could meet my re--the Incredibles? Or whatever their real name is?"

Caroline blinked in astonishment. "Well…I can't get you to talk to them now, but I can show them to you tomorrow if you'd like."

"Please and thank you."


	3. Shades of the Past

Caroline put her hand on her brother's shoulder. "There. That's them."

Jacob looked. The two were hidden in a tree, where they could see without being seen by the family. Caroline had told her father they were going to take a walk, and besides Caroline had to pick up their suits. They planned to do that in a minute, but first she wanted Jacob to see the Incredibles--or the Parrs, however one thought of them.

An older woman with short brown hair was setting out five paper plates with a cup and silverware on top of each to keep them from blowing away in the slight breeze. Caroline, who had control over wind and flame, could have easily killed the breeze, but it was a warm day and the breeze was cooling. A young woman with long, dark hair was setting out food.

Two blond men, one young and lean, the other older and massive, came up to the table too. "Who's the fifth setting for?" the younger asked the brown-haired woman.

"It's for Jack-Jack," she said, slightly tight-lipped.

__

Jack-Jack? Jacob thought but didn't say.

The young boy sighed. "Mom…"

"Dash, don't even _say_ it," the dark-haired girl interrupted him. "If Mom wants to cook him a ten-course meal, let her."

Dash threw up his hands. "All right, all right."

The older man looked at Dash, his wife, and his daughter. "Do you think we'll ever find him, Helen?" he asked the brown-haired woman as he took his seat.

"Bob, what kind of question is that? Of _course_ we'll find him." But Jacob saw Helen wipe her eyes quickly before taking her seat.

Caroline touched his shoulder lightly. "Come on," she said softly. "Let's go."

The two of them slipped silently from the large tree without being seen and quickly left the park. Caroline led her little brother towards the home of the woman who made super suits. Jacob seemed to be lost in thought.

"Jack-Jack, huh?" he said finally as they started down the avenue leading to the large, sprawling white mansion.

"It's what they called you," Caroline told him.

"I like Jacob better." He fell silent for a bit. Just as they got to the mansion, he looked up at Caroline. "But you know what, Caro? I'd rather be Jack-Jack Parr, with my real family, making them happy again, then Jacob Pine, with you and Dad, plotting to kill them."

"I know." Caroline's voice was soft as she put an arm around her brother's shoulder. "I know."

"For you, my dear, lightweight but warm, to withstand those winds you conjure up, but cooling in the midst of heat. Fireproof, waterproof, tough and durable…and machine washable, darling, that's a new feature."

Caroline and Jacob were sitting with Edna Mode, looking at their new suits. Caroline's was light blue with a flame on the chest, orange gloves, and black boots. She nodded to show her approval.

Edna glanced briefly at Jacob. "And for the boy…" A new suit on a new dummy came out. This one was darker blue than Caroline's, with black gloves and boots. "Molds to a part of you, no matter what you shift into. Fireproof, waterproof, bulletproof…feels like satin and breathes like Egyptian cotton."

Jacob also nodded in approval. "How much do we owe you?" Caroline asked Edna gratefully.

"Nothing, darling, all services are free. Good luck, and wear them in good health."

Caroline stood up and took the boxes she was handed. "Thank you very much, Miss Mode."

"Any time, darling, and call me E, everyone does," Edna said with a smile. "Run along now. Come again soon. I enjoy these chats."

Jacob looked down at the box with his suit as he and Caroline headed for home. "Caro, do I have to wear it around the compound."

"Unfortunately, yes. Dad's orders."

Jacob sighed slightly. "Oh, well. I'll live."

Caroline tapped her father lightly on the shoulder. He whirled around in his seat to see her grinning slightly. "We're back, Dad."

Syndrome put a hand to his chest. "Honey, don't sneak up on me like that, okay? Nearly gave me a heart attack…"

Even that couldn't put a damper on Caroline's mood. "Sorry about that, Dad, but…well, what do you think?" She stepped back and twirled once, showing her father the suit Edna had made her.

Her father nodded, impressed. "Hmm. Looks nice. Got any special features?"

"Fireproof, waterproof, tough, durable, and machine washable," Caroline answered with a small laugh.

He nodded again. "Not bad, not bad. Any place to attach gadgets?"

Caroline frowned. "Well…no…"

"Oh, well, we'll make do then. Makes you look like a threat anyway. Where's Jacob?"

"Hold on, Dad." Caroline stepped into the hall and called her little brother into the room. Looking a bit sheepish and crestfallen, he came in and stood in front of Syndrome.

"Wow, Jacob, that's…it's wonderful!" Syndrome approved. "I take it it'll stay a part of you when you shift?"

"Mmm-hmm. And it's soft and breathable."

"Good, good," Syndrome beamed. Not for the first time, Caroline felt a little shut out.

__

But it's normal, she told herself. _He's making a big fuss over Jacob so he doesn't 'suspect' that he's not really a Pine, but a Parr. He does love you, Caroline. You're his only daughter, his only child. Of course he loves you._

Then why do I feel so uneasy?


	4. He Lives

Caroline was playing Minesweeper again when Jacob came in, looking a little troubled. "Caroline?"

Caroline turned around to look at her brother. "Hmm?"

"Dad found out where Illusion and The Dash are. He told me that I wasn't really his son--I acted shocked and surprised, of course--then said he was going to lay a trap for them. He'll spring it tomorrow." Jacob looked pale and frightened. "Can't we warn them? Tell them--"

"Tell them what? That Dad's alive, he's the one who kidnapped you, I'm his daughter, and he's plotting to kill them yet again?" Caroline shook her head. "Remember, they don't know Dad's alive. As far as they know, he was sucked into a jet engine and died over ten years ago. And how are we going to explain where I come into the mix?"

Jacob looked like he wanted to cry. "Caro, we _can't_ let Dad kill them."

"I don't think he will right away," Caroline mused, trying to help her brother. "He'll want to spin it out, make it last. So...so if they get captured, we can just wait until Dad gets out of the way and then free them. You can go home, and I--"

"--can come with us, of course," Jacob interrupted. "I know they'll let you."

"Not when they find out who my dad is," Caroline said darkly. "No matter how nice or good they are, Jacob, the fact remains that I am Syndrome's daughter, and I won't be wanted. No, you'll go home with your family...and I'll stay here and face the music with mine. I've got no choice."

"Sure you do," protested Jacob. "Please, Caroline?"

Caroline hesitated. She didn't like lying to Jacob, but she didn't like hurting him either. "We'll see," she said finally. "Okay?"

"Okay." Jacob looked kind of downcast. "Caroline, what do you think he's going to do to them?"

Caroline opened her arms, and he ran forward to let her envelope him in a hug. "I don't know, baby. I just don't know."

Bob frowned at the package he'd found in the mailbox. No return address, which wasn't really a good thing. Cautiously, carefully, he slit it open. A black package dropped out. After a sensor popped out and scanned the room, a small hatch popped open and a voice emitted from the machine--a high, sweet, young, distinctly feminine voice.

"You don't know me, but I know who you are. I know that you've lost something very precious to you. If you look carefully, you can see a picture, which ought to ve--veri--ve-ri-fy that this does belong to you and is safe." There was a pause. Bob peered into the compartment. A photograph slid out...one of a handsome lad, perhaps ten, with reddish-brown hair and tawny eyes. He was smiling and laughing.

Bob felt all the color drain out of his face. _Jack-Jack._

The little voice came on again. "Okay. If you'd like it back, please come to 327 Seashore Street at noon today. If it's after noon when you're listening to this, then come at seven o'clock." The voice dropped to a sort of whisper. "That's dinnertime. I bet you get to come for dinner...huh? Oh, right, sorry. Please don't forget to come. No need to RSVP--I know you really want it back, so we look forward to your arrival. Did I do it okay?" the voice added.

__

Click.

Bob sat at the kitchen table for a few minutes, just staring at the photograph of his little boy. Then he glanced at the clock. Ten minutes to seven. _Well, I'd promised to have dinner with Helen and the kids tonight, but this is more important._ He stood up and headed for his room.

Twenty minutes later, when Helen came home to start dinner, she found three things on the kitchen table: an oblong black device, a small photograph of a cheerful young boy with hair like hers, and a brief and hastily penned note from Bob: _He's okay!_


	5. Heartaches and Tears

Bob hesitated. He was fully suited up, mask included, so he wasn't worried much about being hurt. But he was unsure as to what to do now. If he just barged in, whoever it was could hurt Jack-Jack. On the other hand, it would show he was a force to be reckoned with. Finally, he just knocked.

The door swung open creakily, and Bob went in slowly, looking about him for a trap. "Hello?" he called cautiously.

His left foot stepped on a throw rug that had no floor beneath. With a bellow, he tumbled down a tunnel that he felt he ought to have been expecting.

It seemed that he fell for ages. Later he found that his guess wasn't very far off. Finally, he hit a solid stone floor. He tried to stand up, but the impact had taken too much out of him. Two guards came in and dragged him down the hall, and while he tried to escape he couldn't quite break free. Large iron bulbs were clamped around his hands and feet, and he was stood in an arch. One of the guards pushed a button, sending electricity to bind the large bonds to the arch--a sort of electromagnet--and the two of them left him there. Overcome by terror and fatigue, Bob fainted.

Syndrome rubbed his hands gleefully. "We've got him now, my girl," he said triumphantly to Caroline, who was seated at the console. "We'll leave him there until his family shows up, then kill them all."

Caroline grated inwardly at his use of the word _we_. "Dad, how did you get him here anyway?"

Syndrome smiled, leaned over his daughter, and pushed a single button. A five-year-old little voice said sweetly, "You don't know me, but I know who you are. You've lost something very precious to you..."

Syndrome switched it off. "Do you remember that, baby?"

"My speech therapy," Caroline murmured. "That was almost a month before you kidnapped Jacob...and you've been saving it all this time! You tricked me, Dad!"

Syndrome shrugged. "Rules of the jungle, baby. You gotta be quick on your feet, and I couldn't very well do the tape myself, not when they think I'm dead. They'd smell the trap in a second. But a little girl..."

Caroline tried hard not to be hurt. She'd known for a couple of years that her father wasn't the shining pillar of virtue she'd believed him to be as a five-year-old little girl with no one else to show her the way. Still, the fact remained that she had trusted him back then. And he had used her.

Getting her emotions under control, she asked carefully, "How long do you think it'll take for his family to get here?"

"Shouldn't take more than a day or so," her father shrugged. "They tend to be worrywarts, so they'll probably panic and rush to find him."

Caroline nodded, as if this was no more unusual than stars on a clear winter's night. Inwardly, she wished her father was less quick to jump to assumptions, particularly as they'd likely prove true. Caroline did not want to see the end of the Incredibles. Especially not if her suspicions proved true and Jacob would be forced to kill them--or watch her father as they were tortured to death.

Caroline didn't tell Jacob what Syndrome was planning or his assumptions, but he figured it out anyway. The two of them were on tenterhooks for the next two days. Astonishingly enough, though, no planes showed up. Caroline watched anxiously for three days straight under her father's impatient direction, scanning aerial radar, underwater sonar sensing, even sending out a couple of "sparrows", the little jets used for recon missions. Nothing.

Syndrome couldn't understand it. "Have they given up on him? Do they not care? Where _are_ they?"

Caroline frowned…then suddenly remembered something. While she was "looking" for Dash and Violet, she had been ordered to do some investigation into Helen and Bob as well. Apparently, Jacob's kidnapping had adversely affected them both; they blamed each other for what had happened. A year before, they'd been a step away from divorce. Bob had backed down first and apologized to Helen, claiming responsibility for the kidnapping, and they were still together, but Caroline had no idea how close they still were.

She didn't mention any of this, though. All she said was, "I don't know, Dad."

Later that afternoon, Caroline was still scanning radar when her father put a hand on her shoulder. "Caroline. Right there, on that camera. Something moved."

Caroline looked, but there was nothing there. "I don't see anything, Dad."

"It was kind of a…a shimmer. Can you switch that camera to heat-sensitive?"

"One thermal imaging filter, coming up."

With a click, the monitor shifted into reds and blues and greens and yellows. In the midst of mostly light greens was a distinctly feminine red-and-yellow shape, looking around cautiously. Syndrome grinned. "That's one of them, at any rate." He stepped over to the console and flipped on a microphone. "Intruders in the Southern quarter, repeat, intruders in the Southern quarter. Squad Eight, check the Eastern quarter for other intruders. Squad Ten, search the Northern quarter. Everyone else head to the Southern quarter and get the intruder. Use thermal imaging filters on your helmets. Go! Go! GO!"

"Dad, what about the Western quarter?" Caroline asked innocently.

"Most of the Western quarter is the compound. If they come back here, we'll catch them."

Caroline didn't say anything, but she knew her father was right. And that was hard to take.


	6. Shadows of Doubt

Helen crept cautiously through the compound. It was a miracle that she had gained access, but she couldn't find Bob or Jack-Jack anywhere. And she had lost track of Violet and Dash. Granted, they had split up intentionally, but she hadn't missed the guards heading for all the quarters of the island but hers and she worried for them.

Turning a corner, she found an open door and slipped in. The room contained a bed, a bookshelf, and a window seat. A book lay on the window seat. Helen walked over to get a closer look at it.

__

Curiosity killed the cat...right?

Naturally, she hesitated.

__

Satisfaction brought him back.

She opened the blue-and-gold tooled cover. On the front page, someone had very neatly written MY FAMILY ALBUM. Turning to the next page, Helen discovered a picture of a small child, no more than five, with huge green eyes and long golden hair drawn into a ponytail, looking frightened and clutching a brown teddy bearThe caption read _Arrival, April 19th._

Turning the page, Helen discovered a few more pictures of the girl by herself. Then, on the page following, she paused. The small girl was sitting on the floor opposite a small baby with reddish-brown hair, trying to feed it a spoonful of somethingfroma jar. Helen's hand shook slightly as she brushed the baby's picture. _Oh, Jack-Jack._

The pictures progressed. It was obvious that the little girl in the pictures loved Jack-Jack; he was in most of them. One showed the girl kneeling down, her arms out, as baby Jack-Jack took uneasy steps towards her. There was another of Jack-Jack holding a teddy bear in one hand as he hugged the small girl with the other in front of a Christmas tree. Another showed the girl running behind Jack-Jack, who was riding a two-wheeled bicycle as guards dove out of his way. Yet another had the two of them roller-skating hand-in-hand. Still another showed them with their arms around each other, posing proudly before a building block city they'd obviously made themselves. And so on and so forth.

Helen turned one of the later pages and stopped. The girl, looking about ten, stood next to a man, her arms around his waist, looking rapturously up at him. Jack-Jack sat proudly on the man's shoulders, laughing. The man himself had rather wild red hair and a square jaw. Underneath the picture was the caption_Quality time with Daddy._ The man looked familiar...but he couldn't he?

Helen kept looking. There were few pictures with the man in them, and the girl was in very few of those pictures. In only one was he alone. In the rest he was with Jack-Jack. The two of them working on a model airplane. Repairing an electronic device. Decorating the Christmas tree. In the cockpit of a jet. There was even one of the man holding Jack-Jack as a small boy, perhaps three. Jack-Jack had fallen asleep on the man's shoulders and looked so peaceful. The man smiled lovingly.

On the next page, towards the back, was an 8x10 portrait of a stern and proper-looking elderly woman, holding the hand of a solemn and proper-looking little girl. It took Helen half a heartbeat to recognize her as the little girl in the rest of the album. Her emotion was so different in that picture. In all the others she seemed...loving, caring, adoring, brimming with life. In this one she seemed like a china doll on the shelf.

Turning the page, there was another portrait of the woman alone, looking stern and forbidding. The caption read _Grandmother--Dad's mother._ Next to her was a photograph of a laughing man with twinkling eyes. His caption was _Pop-Pop--Dad's dad._ Underneath them was a couple, smiling and holding each other about the waist. Their caption read _Gramma and Grampa--Mom's parents._

Flipping the pages, there were other pictures that startled Helen--the man from earlier pictures and a woman she vaguely remembered at the altar, the woman resting her hands lightly on a pregnant belly, the woman holding a baby, a few of the woman by herself. On the next page--Helen's heart leaped to her throat--was a picture clipped from a newspaper. Two women stood together, arms about each other's shoulders, grinning in triumph. The caption was not handwritten but the newspaper headline: **GIRL POWER!: Women Supers Defeat Villain Without Masculine Assistance.** Both women wore skintight suits. One of them was ElastiGirl--Helen herself. The other was another super, one called Irony, which was just an awful pun. She had called herself Irony because she was "as tough as old nails," she'd once laughed. She wasn't super strong, but it took more strength than even Bob had in his fist to hurt her. Hard as iron. Her real name, a thought which brought a couple of tears to Helen's eyes, had been Austin.

There were more articles about Irony--not many, but a few--and then a picture of her in her super suit side-by-side with a picture of her out of it. The caption beneath read simply _Mom._

Helen paled. Had Austin married Syndrome? Where was she now? Did they have any children? She flipped to the next page, hoping to find a clue, but found only the words _To Jacob on his eighth birthday. May all your days be filled with sunshine. Love, Caroline._

There was a creak from behind her. Helen slammed the book shut and whirled around. A teenage girl had just come through the doorway, wearing a blue super suit. She gasped when she saw Helen. The girl's green eyes widened in surprise. Helen suddenly realized who she was._ It was the little girl from the pictures_!

Helen's arm shot out and grabbed the girl's shirt, pulling her inwards. "Where's Jack-Jack?" she asked in a low, dangerous voice.

"J-Jack-Jack?" the girl asked tremulously. "Oh, you m-mean Jacob? I d-don't know."

Helen dropped the girl but stood over her furiously. "Where. Is. My. Son?"

"I told you, I don't know," the girl repeated, her eyes wide with fright. "He--he told Jacob that he needed to be safe and took him somewhere. I don't know where."

"Who is he?" Helen demanded, a sick feeling in the pit of her stomach.

"Syndrome. He isn't dead." The girl picked herself up off the floor and looked up anxiously. "Please believe me. I really don't know where he took Jacob."

"Syndrome?" Helen gasped. "Oh, my God, he'll kill Jack-Jack!"

"Nobody calls him Jack-Jack anymore. He won't even answer to it." The girl put a placating hand on Helen's shoulder. "And don't worry. He'll be all right. And for right now, so will the rest of your family."

"'For right now'?" Helen repeated incredulously. "What do you mean?"

"I mean that my--that Syndrome wants you _and _your husband_ and_ your children captured before he kills you. He wants you all there."

"But--but why?"

The girl took a deep breath. "Because he's been raising Jacob like his son. And he's going to want to kill you all at once so Jacob can get experience in mass murders."

"What?!" Helen yelped.

"He's either going to make Jacob watch, or do it himself, or he'll guide Jacob's hand as he does it." The girl hesitated. "But if we can find him, then free the rest of your family, you can all get out of here."

"He's got Dash and Violet?" Helen asked numbly.

The girl nodded. "Dash they've had since about nine. Violet they just brought in five minutes ago. They're all looking for you in the Western quarter."

Helen regarded her suspiciously. "Who are you?"

"My name is Caroline. I want to help you."

"Why?"

Caroline walked over and picked up the photograph album. "Because you aren't the bad people my--Syndrome has been raising Jacob to think you are. And I want him to know what you're really like. I love Jacob and I want him to be happy."

Helen saw no reason to doubt this part of the story, but she was a bit suspicious about Caroline herself. "And how do you fit into this mix? Why are you here?"

Caroline sighed. "I knew this'd come up eventually, so here goes nothing. I'm here because my father is here and he's the only family I have. And before you ask, yes, my father is Syndrome. And even though he's my dad, I don't work for him by choice. That's why I'm helping you. Because I've finally realized that he isn't the perfect man I believed him to be when I was little. Because he's been lying--to me, to Jacob--for the last ten years."

Helen hesitated, then gestured to the album. "You know Aus--Irony?"

"Knew. Past tense. Sort of." Caroline tightened her ponytail and sighed. "She was my mother."

"Was?"

"She just...disappeared. My grandmother never mentioned it, and I never did find out what happened. I've searched my dad's records, but Irony's location is still listed as unknown--even after all these years--and he never killed her. She's just...gone." Caroline brushed the book lightly. "I think that's part of the reason I never gave this book to Jacob."

"It's addressed to him," Helen pointed out, trying not to show the consuming ache she felt at learning that Austin had vanished.

"I know. I was intending for it to be an eighth birthday present, but he never got it. Part of it was that I didn't want my father to know that Irony was my mother, part of it was that those are the only pictures I have of my mother and I wanted to keep them, and part of it was that I spent his eighth birthday in sick bay."

"Cold? Flu?"

"Menenjitis. And it was Joseph who pushed to get me care. Dad would've been happy just letting it 'run its course'. Anyway, I just kept it...I've never even showed it to him."

Helen wanted to ask if Caroline knew that Helen and Austin had been best friends as children...that Austin was in fact Helen's baby sister. But now was not the time for that. Her family was in danger and she had to find them. "Listen, Caroline, do you think you could help me find my family? Not just Bob and Dash and Violet, but Jacob too?"

"Of course. Actually, there are only three places Dad could have taken Jacob. He's either in his room, one of the cells, or Central Command. I just looked in his room and he wasn't there, so we'll check Central Command first. If he's not there, we can head down to the cell blocks and look."

"Let's go," Helen said firmly.


	7. Part of the Deal

Caroline slipped into the room on her own. Helen was hidden behind a pile of boxes just outside of the cell her family was entombed in; she and Caroline had agreed that Jacob would be the one to free his family. Caroline was confident he'd want to...if she could find him.

As good luck would have it, he was sitting in the main room...but so was Syndrome. "Hi, Dad. Hi, Jacob," she said with a smile, holding out her arms. Jacob ran over to give her a hug.

Syndrome smiled. "Hi, baby. Any luck in finding ElastiGirl?"

"Nope." Caroline took a deep breath. "Dad. I was wondering...well, shouldn't Jacob learn how to work the controls in the cells before the--execution? I was going to take him down to that cell and show him how to work the knobs, what they do, the effects they have on people, and all that."

"Sure, baby, that sounds like a great idea," Syndrome said. One of the screens caught his eye. "Hey, what's it doing?"

Caroline looked. It was running a slide show with white quotes; things like Keep your eye upon the doughnut and not upon the hole_ and Don't tell me the sky's the limit when there are footprints on the moon_ and one of Caroline's favorites, _Socrates was famed for wisdom not because he was omniscient but because he realized at the age of seventy that he still knew nothing._ "Dad, it's a screen saver. It runs through a bunch of quotes I've compiled over the years."

"Wow." Syndrome's full attention was captured by the quotes parading before him, and Caroline, hardly daring to believe her luck, led Jacob out of the room.

"Caro," he whispered urgently as they got outside. "We aren't _really_ going to hurt them, are we?"

"Of course not," Caroline assured him quietly. "I just needed an excuse to get you away from Dad. We're going to rescue them." She flashed him a grin. "Actually, you're going to rescue them. I'm just going to tell you how to do it."

Jacob grinned and gave her a bear hug.

They emerged into the hallway just outside the cell. Caroline knelt down in front of her brother. "Now Jacob, listen carefully. When you go in, the console has a series of buttons on the lefthand side. The one you want to push is the large green one with silver speckles. Once you press it, they're going to drop, so make sure they're okay. You got all that?"

Jacob nodded in determination. Raising his chin firmly, he walked into the room and up to the console. Caroline stepped back to stand with Helen as he reached out a hand, hesitated, and then pressed a button. With a fizzle and a clang, Dash, Violet, and Bob fell to the ground in a heap. Bob especially seemed unable to move.

"The cell suppresses powers," Caroline murmured to Helen. "As long as they're in there, Dash can't run, Violet can't use a force field or invisibility, Jacob can't shift, you can't stretch, and your husband's extraordinary strength is gone. In fact, from the look of it, he's got no strength at all."

Jacob was worried, and that overcame his fear. He crossed the room and knelt next to his father--his _rea_l father. "Are you okay?" he asked in concern. "I'm sorry...there's technology in this cell that prevents people from being able to use their powers. Caroline explained it to me once, but I wasn't really paying attention."

Violet straightened up, then helped Dash to his feet and glanced curiously at Jacob. "Who are you?"

Jacob's eyes widened. Somehow he'd expected his family to know who he was right away. "You don't recognize me?" he asked in a rather small voice.

Caroline couldn't stand for that. She and Helen came in as Violet and Dash struggled to help their father up. "It's been ten years, you know. And you didn't recognize them at first either."

Jacob looked over at Caroline, crestfallen. "Oh, yeah."

Bob slowly raised his head. "Jack-Jack?" he said weakly.

Jacob nodded. "I like Jacob better, but yup."

Bob tried to stand, reached out to give his youngest a hug, but he really didn't have any strength. He collapsed against Violet and Dash again. Helen hurried over to support him, and Jacob looked up in fright, wanting to do something.

Caroline quietly reached into a steel box on the wall and pulled something. The lights shut down on the console and overhead. Bob straightened quickly, strength coursing through him suddenly. "What did you do?" he asked her suspiciously.

Caroline held up something small and green. "Pulled the fuse. All the electricity in this cell has gone off, and nothing electronic works. Including the Triumvate."

"The--"

"There are three modules that are usually used to drain powers," Caroline clarified. "We call it the Triumvate."

"We?" Dash repeated with a frown.

"Me and Caroline and Da--" Jacob stopped mid-word and looked up at Caroline. "Caro, what do I call him? He isn't my dad and I can't remember what his real name is."

Caroline put her hand lightly on his shoulder. "Syndrome."

Jacob nodded. "Right. Syndrome."

Bob paled. "Syndrome? He's alive?"

Jacob and Caroline both nodded.

Bob studied Caroline, suddenly suspicious again. "You don't look much more than nineteen. What are you doing here anyway?"

"I'm fifteen. And I'm here because Syndrome's my father and he's all the family I've got."

Bob froze. One look at his face and Jacob knew Caroline had been right--Bob hated her because her father was Syndrome. Before anyone could say anything else, Jacob reached up and took her hand. "Caro?" he said in a small voice. "C-can we go outside? It's awfully dark in here." It wasn't all pretending either; the dark really did scare him. And the shadows fell over Bob's face to make an effect truly terrible.

"Sure thing," Caroline told him, rumpling his hair slightly. She led them outside the room. Jacob felt a little better; in the fluorescent lights, Bob looked less angry, just frightened.

Helen spoke up before Bob could. "All right, we're all out. What do we do now? How are we going to get out of here?"

"Without Syndrome catching us?" Violet added.

Jacob was a little surprised that no one was making a big deal out of the fact that he'd been found, but he met Caroline's emerald eyes briefly and understood. There would be time for reunions later, when they were all safe.

"Okay, let me think," Caroline mused. "If I can get into CC, I can call in a 44-19 and clear everyone out of here...then you could just get a jet and go. And if I went in running and breathless, I could use the excuse that you guys escaped from your cell...this way."


	8. Count Me Out

Caroline gestured for the Parrs to wait behind another stack of boxes. She then turned and ran towards the door at full tilt, bursting into it, gasping as though she was out of breath. Syndrome was still sitting, staring at the screen saver as though fascinated, but he looked up in surprise as Caroline ran in.

"Baby, what's wrong? Where's Jacob?" He glanced over the monitors and saw the energy in the cells. Cell 19 had no energy at all. "Did they get out?"

Caroline nodded, then flipped on the microphone. "44-19, repeat, we have a 44-19. Code Tan, Code Tan, Code Tan." She snapped off the microphone and looked up at her father. "Dad. You go ahead on to the hangar and get out of here. I'll find Jacob--he's probably in his room--and meet you at the next island."

"Omega," Syndrome told her. "All right, I'll see you then. I'm leaving Bessy May for you two. Hurry--and don't let the Incredibles follow you!"

Caroline saluted. Her father left out one door. She started to go out the other, then paused and beckoned for Jacob and his family to come in.

"Okay, they're leaving. Wait in here a few minutes just to be sure. Then head on down to the hangar and book it."

"Thank you," Bob said gratefully, and meant it. Everyone took a seat. Jacob curled up next to Caroline.

"You guys are close, huh?" Dash said, sitting backwards in a red chair.

"Mmm-hmm," Jacob nodded. "She's my big sister. Sort of."

Violet gave Caroline a warm smile. "Does she take care of you?"

Jacob nodded again. "She makes sure I don't get lost or hurt or anything like that."

"Is she mean?" Dash asked Jacob. "Vi picks on me all the time...OW!" he yelped as she reached over and thumped him across the shoulder. "See what I mean?"

Jacob laughed. "Nope. She's really nice. She teaches me things."

"Like what? Guitar? Banjo? Piano? Painting?"

"She taught me what the difference is between good and bad."

Bob's eyebrows shot up. "Oh? And what does she say that is?"

Caroline recognized the challenge and felt a little hurt, but Jacob thought his father was genuinely curious. "She says that good people don't kill people. They have the physical ability to, but not the mental one. They can't consciously kill people. Bad people kill other people al the time, just 'cause they want to or because they think that they're in their way. That's not what Da--Syndrome told me, though. He said that bad people only wanted to destroy people from the inside out, and that killing them meant nothing 'cause there are lots of ways of destroying people without killing them and that's what bad people do. Good people care enough about everyone to make sure they get raised in a loving environment, even if they have to kidnap them."

"And which one do you believe?" Bob asked him.

"Caroline," Jacob answered promptly. "'Cause Syndrome was only saying it so I'd think he was good, but he didn't care enough about Caroline to make sure _she_ was always in a loving environment, and she's his real daughter, so I don't believe him. Plus you guys are good and you wouldn't kill anyone."

Bob was impressed in spite of himself. She had raised him with some good moral values. Before he could ask her about her mother, Caroline spoke up.

"I think it's probably about time for you guys to go. Everyone else will have left by now."

"Aren't you coming with us?" Helen asked, surprised.

"No, I don't think so," Caroline said quietly. Jacob frowned at her.

"So, you're going to...what, follow Syndrome's group to their new location? Stay with them?" Bob demanded.

Caroline shook her head. "I never said that. No, I'm not going to follow them."

"Then you're staying here? You plan on living by yourself? Good for you."

"No. I'm not living here either."

"What do you mean?"

Caroline smiled a little sadly in response. She brushed one hand over the keyboard and called up a large grid with red and green bars all over it. "This is a grid of the hanger. Look at it. What do you see?"

"A bunch of blinking dashes," Bob answered, wondering what this had to do with anything.

Caroline turned to his son. "Jacob? What do you see?"

Jacob frowned at the screen. "Well, the red ones are the jets that aren't there, and...there's only one left," he finally said triumphantly, pointing to a green bar. Suddenly, a look of panic crossed his face. "Oh, no. Caroline Austin Pine, you _wouldn't._"

"Jacob...what else is there for me to do?"

"You can come with us," the little boy said stubbornly. "Right, Dad?"

Caroline shook her head before Bob could say anything. "Jacob, I couldn't."

"Yes, you can," Jacob said stubbornly.

Helen put a hand on Caroline's shoulder before she could protest. "We're more than willing to take you with us. You're family after all."

There was a brief pause. "What do you mean?" Bob asked finally.

Helen slipped one hand into a pocket and pulled out a small wallet. Opening this, she showed them half a photograph, depicting a small girl with very long hair, likely golden, leaning backwards and laughing. She seemed to be holding someone's hand.

Caroline paled. She reached into her pocket and pulled out another half a photograph. This one showed a slightly older girl with shortish brown hair, also leaning back and laughing. The two fit perfectly together, showing the girls holding hands as they spun in a circle.

"That's my mom," Caroline said, looking at the picture Helen was holding.

Violet leaned over the younger girl's shoulder and pointed to Caroline's half of the picture. "That's _my_ mom."

Bob frowned. "You knew Caroline's mother?"

Helen nodded. "Her name was Austin. We were very close as children...Bob, I think you only met her once, and you didn't know she was Austin. You knew her as Irony."

"Oh, yeah, I remember her," Bob mused. He looked at Caroline in surprise. "You're a super?"

"Wind and flame," Caroline answered quietly. She was still trying to absorb the fact that Helen Parr was her mother's best friend. "But...I don't understand...if you were friends why did you say I'm family?"

"Family can't be friends? We were best friends--our family lived in the country when we were younger, so we didn't have a lot of friends--but she was my baby sister. And I use that term loosely--we were only about a year apart."

A shocked silence descended. Now that Bob thought about it, he could vaguely remember meeting Austin once; she had been very little like Helen, although she had the same inner strength and determination--as well as feminist activism--that had first attracted Bob to Helen. Austin had been the intelligent one, but incredibly naïve. Bob wondered where she was now and suspected this was the wrong time to ask.

The radio squawked suddenly, making them all jump. "Okay, I'll try here. Tawny Owl, this is Papa Goose. Come in, Tawny Owl. Over."

Caroline hastily switched on the microphone and waved for the Parrs to be quiet. "Papa Goose, this is Tawny Owl. I read you loud and clear. Over."

"Tawny Owl, this is Papa Goose," the voice, clearly Syndrome's, answered, sounding relieved. "Caroline, why haven't you left yet? I tried raising Bessy May and didn't get an answer. For a while I was afraid those blasted Incredibles had taken the jet and left you behind."

"Papa Goose, this is Tawny Owl. Sorry to have worried you, Dad. I just thought...well, I thought I'd make sure they were actually in the compound before I left. We're getting ready to leave now, I promise. Jacob's right here, he's fine."

There was a slight pause. Then, "Ostrich Chick, this is Papa Goose. Come in, Ostrich Chick."

Jacob rolled his eyes and nudged Caroline out of the way. "Papa Goose, this is--_Ostrich Chick_. You know I hate that name."

"Would you prefer I called you a penguin?" Syndrome cracked. He sounded relieved as well.

"Nope. I'd rather be a canary. Because this bird is flown."

"Good. Tawny Owl, are the Dodos returned to their nests?"

"Affirmative, Papa Goose."

"Then you can go. And hurry up before they beat you to the hanger."

"Can do, will do, done. See you, Dad." Caroline snapped off the microphone.

__

"Dodos?" repeated Dash with a snort. "What's that supposed to mean?"

"The dodo was flightless, so it means you aren't going anywhere." Caroline hesitated. "And the dodos are extinct."

"Why was your dad so afraid that we'd left you?" Violet wanted to know. "Is it related to the dodo comparison?"

Caroline nodded. "The way the compound is set up, when the last jet leaves the hanger, the whole place will blow up."

Bob suddenly paled. "And you wanted us to leave you behind." It wasn't a question.

"Now you get it. I didn't think anyone would really care enough about me to worry if I died--well, except maybe Joseph, but I didn't know what I could do about that."

Bob stood up abruptly. "I think we'd best leave now."

"I concur," Dash piped up.

"He knows big words!" Violet gasped. Dash boxed her on the shoulder. Jacob laughed. Caroline just shook her head.

Caroline had to authorize the plane's startup, but she needed a copilot. Bob had been planning to do it until he saw the controls; they were made for someone with small, delicate hands. This was explained as soon as Caroline sat down in the pilot's chair, which semed to be made for her.

"Bessy May was my twelfth birthday present," Caroline informed Helen, who slipped into the copilot seat. "Dad built it himself...he's pretty handy with this sort of thing."

"She gets that from him," Jacob called up as he buckled himself in. Suddenly he froze. "Caro, I forgot Sage!"

"Stay put. I'll get him." Caroline unbuckled her own seatbelt. "I'll be back in five minutes." She ran for it. When she returned--exactly five minutes later--she had a white canvass messenger bag over her shoulder. Reaching into it, she pulled out something small and golden brown, then tossed it to Jacob as she returned to the cockpit and put the bag down.

Dash blinked in surprise as his little brother caught the thing. It was a teddy bear--a worn, squat, short-legged bear with a face as though it had been pressed against a brick wall.

Jacob noticed him staring and held out the bear. "This is Sage. Caroline gave him to me for my third birthday."

Dash smiled warmly. "He looks like a great bear."

Jacob grinned.

"What's in the bag?" Helen asked as Caroline began flipping switches.

"Bessy May, this is Tawny Owl. Initiate launch sequence." To Helen, she said, "I threw together a few of mine and Jacob's things--pajamas, toothbrushes, that sort of thing, plus a couple of my favorite books."

"Like what?"

__

"Watership Down, the Riftwar saga, and two of my photograph albums."

Before Helen could say anything else, the plane began heading for the hangar bay doors. "Welcome, Tawny Owl. Autopilot set and locked. Location Omega."

"What?" yelped Caroline. "Computer, override Autopilot. Authorization Pine C. Charlie Delta two nine."

"Authorization denied. Autopilot must be overwritten by master control."

Caroline put her face in her hands. "Great," she muttered.

"What's wrong?" Helen asked, concerned.

Caroline didn't answer, merely flipped a switch. "Papa Goose, this is Tawny Owl. Come in, Papa Goose. Over."

"Ssssssssssss..." Nothing but static.

Caroline flipped another switch and tried again. "Bravo Omega, this is Tawny Owl. Come in, Bravo Omega. Over."

Finally, a voice crackled on. "Tawny Owl, this is Bravo Omega. Caroline, honey, you made it out!"

BOOM!

While Bob threw his children to the ground and Helen jumped to go back to them, Caroline remained calm. "Yeah, the fireworks just went off. Listen, Dad, did you set the autopilot on Bessy May?"

"Sorry, baby, I forgot. I was afraid you wouldn't know where you were going, since as far as I know you've never been to Omega before."

He had her there. "Sorry, Dad, I was just wondering. How's the base?"

"Incredibly comfortable. We have reports of someone living in a hut on the island, and I've got a squad out looking for whoever it is, but other than that it's fine. See you when you get here, baby."

"Bye, Dad." She turned off the microphone and moved into the cabin, where Bob was craning to look out the window and see what had caused the explosion.

"We're dead," Caroline announced, collapsing into a chair.

Violet did a swift count of the number of people in the cabin. "Who's flying this thing?"

"Autopilot. That's why we're dead. Dad set it for Omega before he left the compound. And I can't override it. We're going to have to go."

Silence descended as the impact of this statement settled in. It was Jacob who spoke up next.

"Well, we've got a bit of a ride ahead of us. We can figure out a plan before we get there."


	9. A Game I Can Win

Caroline was ready when the plane landed in the hangar. She and Joseph leaped out of the cockpit. Syndrome was waiting anxiously, but when he saw them he relaxed and smiled. "Any problems with the flight?" he asked them.

Caroline took a deep breath. "Dad...the Incredibles have been recaptured. They're in the cargo hold."

Syndrome blinked in surprise. "Why?"

Jacob spoke up. "'Cause you don't get the same satisfaction from letting them blow up than you do from blowing 'em up yourself. That's what you always said, anyway."

Syndrome nodded slowly. "Yes...yes, you're right. They're handcuffed, I take it?"

Caroline started to answer, but a squad of guards burst in just then. One stepped forward and saluted Syndrome. "Pi Squad returning, Sir! Invader captured!"

Syndrome turned toward the squad captain, briefly distracted from his daughter. "Well, leave it here and GO!"

The squad saluted and departed, leaving behind them a bedraggled-looking lump. Syndrome walked over and nudged it with his foot. "Get up," he snarled.

To his surprise, the lump grabbed his foot and pulled him to the floor. "Oof!"

The person stood up. "Don't you kick me, Budrich Pine. You know full well I won't stand for that."

The person looked straight at Caroline, whose eyes widened. It couldn't it? "You. What's your name? I ought to know you, but..." The person glared suspiciously at Syndrome, who was still struggling to his feet. "He didn't remarry, did he?Since his _first _marriage isn't over yet..."

Caroline shook her head. "N-no...I-I'm his daughter."

The person blinked and threw back a hood, revealing said person to be a woman with bedraggled gold hair, raggedly growing around the shoulders. "Caroline?"

And then Caroline recognized her, knew she'd been right. She grinned. "Mom?"

Syndrome gaped from the floor. "Hold up...what? Austin? You're alive!"

Jacob took a step closer to Caroline. "Caro? Is this your mom?"

Caroline nodded. "Jacob, this is my mother. Mom, this is Jacob Parr. He was...um...well, Dad kidnapped him about ten years ago and has been raising him as a son."

Austin blinked. "Ten years? How long have I been living out here by myself."

"Fifteen years...but why?" Caroline asked. She and Jacob exchanged a small glance; their plan had officially gone out the window.

"Crashed," Austin said off-handedly. Then she suddenly grinned. "Caroline, you've grown up so much! Have you grown into your powers yet?"

"Into her what?" Syndrome yelped.

Caroline nodded. "Wind and flame. Wind meaning weather."

"'Atta girl," her mother approved, ignoring Syndrome, who was gasping like a flounder out of water. Then she looked around. "Say, I've been trapped here for fifteen years. What say we go for a short flight somewhere?"

This was too much of a coincidence. "Well...sure." On sudden inspiration, Caroline said, "Let's all go. Come on, Dad. We'll take Bessy May."

"Oh...uh..." Syndrome began, but Jacob grabbed his hand and dragged him onto the plane.

"I hope you know what you're doing," Jacob muttered as he slid into the copilot seat.

"So do I," Caroline said fervently.

Five minutes later, they were in the air. Austin, who hadn't been off the ground in fifteen years, came up into the cockpit. "So, where are we going?" she asked eagerly.

Caroline typed in a set of coordinates and set the autopilot. "You'll see when we get there."

Austin grinned. Caroline and Jacob came into the back with her mother, and the four of them sat to talk.

"So how is your aunt, Caroline?" Austin asked her. "Your Aunt Helen, you know. I haven't seen her in about twenty-five years."

"She's fine," Caroline said brightly, please at the way things were playing out. "She misses you a lot."

"But I think she'd like to tell you herself," Jacob added. He opened the door to the cargo bay. Jacob's parents and siblings stepped into the cockpit. Syndrome made a noise like a choking duck.

"If you'll hold on a minute..." Helen said pleasantly. Bob took two steps, grabbed Syndrome, and tossed him unceremoniously into the cargo bay. His shrieks of rage could still be heard as Helen shut the door.

"He can't get out of there," Caroline assured him. "I'm one hundred percent positive that it's totally secured."

"And Dad couldn't get out," Dash added. "So neither can yours."

Helen nodded with satisfaction, then turned to her sister. "Austin!"

"Helen!" Caroline's mother cried, embracing her older sister. The two were quickly hugging and laughing.

Helen gestured to her family. "Aust, this is my husband Bob, my daughter Violet, my oldest boy Dash, and I take it you've met Jacob. You probably remember Bob better as Mr. Incredible."

Austin grinned. "Charmed. I guess you've met my little girl here...not to mention Budrich."

__

"Budrich?" Dash repeated with a smirk.

Austin jerked a thumb at the door. "My darlin' husband. Budrich, Bud, Buddy, or...what does he call himself now? Symptom?"

"Syndrome," Caroline supplied.

"That's it."

"Yeah, we've met him," Helen answered. "In fact, he's the reason we've been allowed to come out of hiding."

"Do tell," Austin said, crossing her legs.

Caroline grinned at Jacob as his mother began explaining the story to hers. Everything was going to be all right.


	10. Epilogue: Loose Ends

They gave Syndrome a trial, if only because there were still one or two people who had sued supers twenty-five years before clamoring for justice. Mr. Incredible testified to what he had experienced ten years previous, naming every super Syndrome had killed that he could remember. Caroline took the stand after that. Old enough to remember her father kidnapping Jacob, she testified to the kidnapping, the lies he had told them, and the plots. When asked to fill in the supers Mr. Incredible had missed, she hesitated, then asked if they were prepared for the length of time it would take her. They assured her they were, so she completed the list. Twenty-five years before, there had been a total of eighty supers nationwide. Bob had been able to list twenty of them. Caroline rattled off fifty-six more. The courtroom seemed shocked to discover that only Mr. Incredible, ElastiGirl, Frozone, and Irony were left. They seemed shocked to discover it themselves. Syndrome found himself serving seventy-six life sentences for murder, four ninety-year sentences for attempted murder, one sixty-year sentence for kidnapping, and thirty days for disorderly conduct.

Bob and Helen invited Austin and Caroline to live with them. Two weeks later, Caroline was enrolled at the high school Dash and Violet had attended and Austin had somehow landed a job with Bob's firm.

Towards Christmas of that year, Jacob and Caroline were sitting outside on the front porch. Caroline was showing him the constellations when Bob came out.

Jacob looked up and grinned. "Hi, Dad."

Caroline grinned also, then stood up and slipped inside. She was the sort of person who saw what needed to be done and did it without being asked. Bob was glad; he wanted to talk to Jacob.

"Jacob," Bob said slowly, "I want to...well, I want to apologize."

"For what, Dad?"

Bob hesitated. How did he say it? For missing Jacob's first steps, first words, first day of kindergarten, first loose tooth, for not helping him learn to read, ride a bike..."I want to apologize for not being there for you. For missing your childhood. I mean, I'm sure Syndrome didn't do too bad a job, but..."

Jacob grinned. "Dad, it's not your fault. Are you sure you're not just a little upset that you don't have any memories or baby pictures or anything like that?"

Bob gave him a crooked grin. "That's probably a part of it."

"I had a feeling you'd say something like that." Jacob reached into the rucksack he carried around with him and pulled out another photo album. This one was marbled scarlet with silver writing, which read _Memories._

Bob took it carefully and opened it. Caroline had kept a baby book for Jacob, a record of his past. "I think she knew that someday, I'd come back to you and you'd want to know what you'd missed."

"She was right," Bob murmured. There were four pages for each of the past ten years. Three of them showed various candids Caroline, Syndrome, and the guards had taken. On the fourth page was the "firsts" of the year. In his first year were written_ First Birthday, First Christmas, _and_ First Step_s. These were accompanied by a picture of Jacob covered in chocolate cake, Jacob sitting on top of a mountain of wrapping paper with a bow on his head, and another copy of the picture Helen had seen in the other photograph album of Jacob taking uneasy steps toward Caroline, who was waiting eagerly.

Bob turned the pages. No detail had been left out. His first word was listed as "Ca-wine", with "Da-Da" in a close second. His first tooth lost was when he was six--his upper left incisor--and was taped to the scrapbook. When he was nine, there was yet another tooth taped to the page, listed as "First Tooth Not Put Under Pillow", this one the bottom right pre-molar--the tooth Jacob had lost about the time he stopped believing in the tooth fairy. In fact, looking through the book, there was only one thing Bob couldn't find.

"Jacob, what about your first day of school?"

Jacob looked sheepish. "Syndrome home-schooled us. I didn't have a real first day of school." He looked up at his father. "And what's really sad about it is that we didn't know any different. We thought it was okay. Caroline was the one who taught me that not everyone was like that."

"Caroline taught you a lot," Bob observed.

Jacob nodded. "She had more of a hand in raising me than Syndrome...and she taught me more than he did about almost everything."

Bob smiled. "She sure did a good job."

Jacob gave his father a grin and a hug. Bob hugged him back. And from the window of the kitchen, Caroline smiled.

**__**

Fin


End file.
